Skip to content

ONTARIO: Attorney General faces online backlash after 'embarrassing' meeting with Tribal Council

Doug Downey received an honorary name at the local Golden Griddle restaurant

Twitter lit up on the weekend as online detractors chimed in about recent honour given to local MPP Doug Downey and the legitimacy of the group that bestowed it. 

But the Attorney General said he believes there's nothing wrong with the meeting or what happened at it.

Saturday's tweet on the Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MPP's Twitter account showed pictures of Downey meeting with members of the Algonquin Woodland Aboriginal Peoples’ Tribal Council (AWAPTC).

The event, which took place at the Golden Griddle restaurant at the Kozlov Centre in north-end Barrie, was to honour Downey for his recent contributions and bestowed upon him the honorary name, ‘Gichi Inini’, which BarrieToday has been told translates to ‘Really/Very/Great Man’.

Downey's tweet featured four images from the meeting and read: “Quite a privilege to receive the honorary name of Gichi Inini from the Algonquin Woodlands Aboriginal Peoples’ Tribal Council this morning in #Barrie. Thank you to Chief Bob Lowe and congratulations on a successful Christmas Breakfast event! #BSOM #AWAPTC”

But then the backlash started. 

Some of the almost three dozen comments regarding the event accused the council of not representing real Indigenous people and that the whole ceremony was fake.

“Ummm Doug . . . Maybe delete this tweet and forget your Honorary/Embarrassing name forever,” read one tweet.

Another said: “One would hope that the staff of the Attorney General of Ontario would do their homework and save the government yet more embarrassment.”

And a third: "Naming ceremonies are just that, ceremonies held by our true Medicine People, in a spiritual environment and never to honour any one individual above or below anyone else. Granted you're some sort of mainstreamer, but you should educate yourself and avoid possible problems...."

A fourth tweet, which alluded to Premier Doug Ford, said: "The ATTORNEY GENERAL of Ontario, thinks that names are received at a mall?? From a group of people that is heavily critiqued by actual Indigenous people . . .. No doubt you’re one of fordnation's crew. That much I don’t have to look up."

Most of the responses to Downey's original tweet carried a similar tone. 

BarrieToday asked Downey about the tweets and the MPP was adamant that he and his team checked out the group, as they do with any person or group they meet with.

He chalked up the online reaction to what happens on social media.

“I think that's Twitter,” Downey said. “These are constituents, they are of Barrie and Ontario-based. I met with them in the summer as well.”

An official with the Barrie Native Friendship Centre told BarrieToday the Algonquin Woodlands Aboriginal Peoples’ Tribal Council is known for raising money and some awareness for Indigenous issues, but not necessarily for being closely related.

“The group is far removed from other people and groups,” said the official, who didn't want their name published. “Most have distant relation to an Aboriginal person, but that’s it. That said, if they came to the friendship centre, they would be helped with a service they need.”

BarrieToday reached out to council officials for comment on the social-media storm surrounding the naming ceremony, but received no response.

Their website says the group represents off-reserve Aboriginal people, who are among “the least recognized of all Aboriginals in Canada.”

The website indicates the council is a social organization with connections to various political Aboriginal organizations through which its members can participate in the democratic processes, as well as helping its members access certain social programs, including those dealing with Aboriginal issues such as health, education, grants and employment.

"We are not a direct advocacy group, but we are an affiliate of the national Congress of Aboriginal Peoples," the website states. "Through these organizations and others, our members can apply for assistance in the various areas of Aboriginal concerns.”